Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-08-23
METAL RAILWAY TIES.
Fifty Thousand of Them Ordered for VI
Gus Mexican Roads.

Fifty Thousand of Them Ordered for vari
Gus Mexican Roads.
The railways of Mexico have ordered
over 5000 metal ties from England. II
be delivered and laid on their extern
sions during 1887. Many of these
metal ties are to be used hundreds o.
miles inland from the point of delivery
on the coast of Mexico, after being
freighted across the ocean.
Wo, den ties are to-day being shipped
from Michigan to Mexico for the new
lines being built near the border of the
United States to connect with our rail-
way systems. Wooden ties are be-
coming so scarce that our railway
managers are compelled to bring then,
from as far north as Maine and as far
south as Florida, while they. are not
nearly so rigid in the inspection OF ties
As formerly, accepting many now that
would have been called sccond-class a
few years ago.
A good metal tie will outlast seven
wooden ones and then be valuable rs
old metal, say at the end Of fifty years.
This Is wonderfully promising field
for some inventor with brain enough to
produce u simple metal tic that will be
acceptable to our railway managers,
for iron is so cheap and such great inn
provements have recently been made
In it, manufacture, especially since the
Introduction Of natural gas rs fuel,
that we may safely say tho days Of the
wooden ties are numbered. There is
big fortune slumbering here for some
Of our live American inventors, greater
even than Mr.. George Westinghouse
got for his air brake. Who can grasp
the idea and produce something prac-
ticable. made Of steel or iron, free from
bolts, rivets. nuts or keys, and hay
ing all tho elasticity 81 the present
wooden iice Steel Is now produced
AT almost the same cost ms iron, as Is
shown in the contract for the new
Market street bridge, which is to be Of
steel, Mt less than three cents PEI
pound. Note the variety of shapes IN,
the metal for the bridge, while metal
ties would be all alike.
The late Colonel T'hos, A. Scott felt a
great interest in the metal-tie subject,
and the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pnny to-day Is testing some metal ties
with the Wow Of adopting the best
they can get whom the lime comes for
them 20 do 80. In plain words, our
railway can see that the tine Is very
near AZ hand when they will be com
peeled 10 adopt metal tie or some me-
cepiable substitute for the present
wooden sleeper, which Is 50 fast disap-
pearlng by the rapid depletion
Of our forests. We have to-day IN
the United States close to 40, 900 miles
81 railroads. Tho year 1886 saw about
5000 miles laid. aud 1t is expected
that fully II 900 more will be built in
1887. Many Of our rolling-mlls have
al the steel rails contracted tor nj
ready that they can produce within the
year Why do not some of our roll.
ing-mills look after those Mexican con
tracts for metal ties aud not let them
so entirely to England. when We Amer
leans are so much nearer Mexico
The iron ties being tested by the Penn
sylyania Railroad Company are good
and stand all the racket and hard work
required Of them. but are too expens-
iye, costing over IS each. Besides,
they are composed of about eighteen
separate parts, which Is very objection
able. philadelphia Times.